20 Perfect Dates: New Version
by Saku-Chan.x
Summary: AU: Ino Yamanaka is considered many things, a scheming matchmaker happens to be one of them. Add in her completely oblivious rosette friend to the mix, and you've got 20 Perfect Dates. MultiSaku
1. The Idea

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Summary: **AU: Ino Yamanaka is considered many things, a scheming matchmaker happens to be one of them. Add in her completely oblivious rosette friend to the mix, and you've got 20 _Perfect_ Dates. MultiSaku

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><p><strong>20 <em>Perfect<em> Dates -****_New Version_-**

**Chapter 1**

**The Idea**

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><p>"Hmm, I wonder how the date went." The blond mused, flicking through random TV channels. The dim glow of the television casted its artificial light around the living room, creating different shadows for every different station.<p>

She received her answer the moment the front door abruptly opened and closed with a loud slam. _Oh now __that__ can't be good…_

"Sakura? How was the date, sweetheart?" She called out. Her gaze was momentarily locked on the unusually silent girl, who, instead of answering, (which was _quite_ rude in Ino's opinion) shuffled towards the kitchen. No doubt she was heading straight for the half empty ice cream container located on the bottom shelf in the freezer.

The blond sighed in disappointment, this could only be a sign that the date hadn't gone well _at all_. She reluctantly stood up from her position off the comfortable couch, and wandered through the living room and into the darkened hallway towards the closed kitchen door.

The light from the kitchen stretched out across the carpet through the gap between the door and the floor and muffled sobs were detected as Ino's worry increased. Her azure blue orbs narrowed in fury.

Whoever this guy was, he was _definitely _going to pay for upsetting Sakura. She forced open the door. Her anger-consumed thoughts were quickly washed away once she noticed her friend drowning her sorrows in mouthfuls of cookie dough ice cream.

"Sakura-chan, did that guy do something? Because I have connections…" The blonde began, an unholy grin on her face at the different scenarios running through her head.

"No no, Ino-chan, I'm just exhausted." Sakura said unconvincingly, sniffling quietly. One hand came up to wipe stray tears from her face as the other scooped up a generous portion of ice cream from the tub.

Ino rolled her eyes in exasperation as she stepped over to Sakura to ruffle her hair, earning an annoyed whine from the self-depreciating woman.

"Then, please, share with me the reason you're stuffing your pretty little face with the I'm-obviously-sad-about-a-guy ice cream." Sakura dropped her eyes down to her lap, her spoon left forgotten in the melting pile of cookie dough ice cream.

"I-it's not re-really anything i-important Ino-chan…" Try as she might, however, Ino was not one to be swayed so easily. The blonde in question slammed her hand onto the table. Sakura's face was blank but inwardly, she winced at the hard sound.

"Bull_shit_, Sakura! You rarely ever come home like this! I'm usually the one pigging out on the I'm-obviously-sad-about-a-guy ice cream. So spill." Ino stated sternly, surprising Sakura by being quite serious. There wasn't any trace of her usual carefree tone detected as Sakura lifted her head back upwards, emerald eyes clashing with those of her best friend's. A few moments passed and Sakura didn't have the heart to continue looking into the blonde's intense stare. She was starting to feel really uncomfortable with this, rarely seen, side of Ino.

"Ino, have you ever wondered if guys actually like you for yourself or for your looks?" Sakura inquired quietly, fidgeting with the hem of her black dress with a sudden new-found interest.

The blonde blinked owlishly, startled by the unexpected question. Her expression softened as she slid into the seat opposite the rosette, and reached out for her friend's hand.

"Of course I do," She nodded, placing her index finger on her chin. "But if he happens to be filthy rich and is a complete hottie, then it's all good with me." She joked, a small giggle escaping her lips. Sakura merely shook her head in disbelief at her friend, before joining in the laughter.

"I guess you'll never change, Ino." Sakura managed to choke out, as she was still in the midst of her fit of giggles.

"You're so mean!" She retorted, a pout curling on her face, then she attacked the oblivious rosette. "But I know you still love me, right Sakura-chan?" Ino cooed, as she tickled her friend mercilessly.

"Yeah, of course I do Ino-_pig_." Sakura teased, a grin plastered across her face. She pried the blonde's hands away from her as a long, draining yawn escaped her mouth.

She left one eye closed as she glanced upwards to check the time. It was only 11 o'clock; it was getting late, and she had to get up extra early in the morning for work. The thought nearly made her sigh.

"I'm gonna call it a night." Sakura stretched, standing up as she took a moment to straighten her ruffled clothing. "I've had enough of stupid, inconsiderate men for one day." She sighed dejectedly, turning on her heel and stepped over to the door of her bedroom.

Unfortunately for her, she missed the mischievous look that was plastered across Ino's face before feigning an uncharacteristic innocent expression.

"Oh but _Sakuraaa-chan! _It's still early, let's watch a movie!" She whined childishly, crossing her arms over her chest in protest. The rosette cast a lazy glance over her shoulder, to see Ino giving her the patented You-Totally-Don't-Have-A-Choice look.

Sakura sighed, knowing resistance was futile. "Fine. I'll go change then." She made her way towards her room again before shooting her own, sorrow-filled, look over her shoulder. "Nothing romantic though please, Ino."

"Ohkie dokie then sweetheart, horror movie marathon it is! I'll get the popcorn ready." Ino happily chimed, skipping over to one of the wooden cupboards to grab a few packets of microwavable popcorn, and tossing it into the microwave. She grinned in anticipation as she whipped her pink phone from her pocket, her fingers working expertly on the small device.

'This is _definitely _going to keep Sakura busy for the next couple of weeks.' She thought to herself, almost feeling guilty for attempting to set her best friend up with the guys she had in mind. Just _almost._

_It's definitely for her own good. _She reassured herself; she figured Sakura just needed a push in the right direction. She'll be fine.

How bad could things get, anyway?

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><p><strong>AN: **There weren't many significant changes to this chapter, just lightly edited with the help of my always helpful beta: **dinosaurs wear sunglasses**.

I'll probably be able to post the Sasori date relatively soon, so keep an eye out for that!

_Review _my lovely readers! Any thoughts or constructive criticism is always welcomed!

Thanks for reading,

Saku-Chan


	2. Date 1: Sasori

**Standard Disclaimer Applied**.

**Summary**: AU: Ino Yamanaka is considered many things, a scheming matchmaker happens to be one of them. Add in her completely oblivious rosette friend to the mix, and you've got 20 Perfect Dates. MultiSaku

**20 _Perfect _Dates: New Version**

**Chapter 2**

**Date 1: Sasori**

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><p>The morning sunshine slowly streamed through the dull coloured curtains, brightening the darkened room as the light seeped through and did its job when the blonde stirred, fluttering her eyes open until they were fully awake. She let out a tired yawn as she pulled herself into a sitting position on the couch, quickly rummaging through the pocket of her designer purse that was settled by her feet as she pulled out her phone and squinted her eyes in a poor attempt to check the time; another sleepy yawn escaped her lips.<p>

It was only eight o'clock—they still had enough time to get ready. Ino sighed, carelessly tossing the fluorescent pink phone back into her designer handbag. She briefly glanced towards the sleeping rosette, who was currently muffling incoherent words into her pillow.

Ino chuckled softly as she stood up and stretched while she walked barefooted towards the stairs with thoughts circling around an warm, inviting shower. The pink haired woman unceremoniously rolled off the couch, as a dull _thud _echoed in the room. Sakura winced, as she rubbed her raw eyes that were still stinging from her abrupt wake from the fall.

"Ino?" She called out to an empty room, yawning as she managed to stand from her uncomfortable position. She noticed some popcorn packets left on the floor from the previous night, as her vision slowly came back to her. She inwardly shuddered at some certain scenes replayed itself in her mind, that had _definitely_ put her off horror movies for a while.

Sakura assumed that Ino was probably using the shower; the distant sound of water running from the second floor had confirmed this. So, she busied herself by helping herself to some breakfast. The groggy beryl-eyed woman produced two platters of toast for the blonde and herself. One plate contained lightly coated toast in strawberry jam, while the other was covered in a low fat butter the self-conscious blonde had insisted on buying.

She bit into her toast as she flipped through pages of the newspaper, and soon enough Ino popped into the kitchen, her hair styled to perfection in a stylish bun that still held some traces of dampness, Intent on finding a packet of herbal tea as she searched the cupboard's contents. The blonde's attire consisted of a purple floral summer dress accompanied a black cardigan, with matching Mary Jane shoes.

"Nice outfit Ino, what are your plans for today?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, the blonde smiled in success after she pulled out two different tea bags, one herbal tea for her, and an Earl Grey for Sakura.

"My manger told me that I have to finish a photo shoot today, and then I'm all yours." She rolled her eyes at first, but then shot her best friend a wink. Sakura sighed as she cradled the mug, relishing in the warmth it provided.

"Sorry Ino, but Tsunade has me doing double shifts today." The pink haired woman smiled apologetically, before taking a long blissful sip out of her cup. Ino's excited look instantly melted into an unhappy pout. Sakura _may _have looked sorry now, but she knew that the stubborn rosette didn't like to be dragged around in the most famous of fashion buildings, where only the most sought for agents, models, (including herself, obviously) and other well known make-up artists and clothing designers spent most of their time.

The blonde had persistently tried to convert her friend by attempting to persuade her to join her in the modeling industry, but unfortunately for Ino, she wasn't to be swayed that easily.

Sakura never could understand the fashion world, even now in her early twenties. It seemed that nowadays, the clothes that well known celebrities would wear would be constantly criticized by fashion designers (like Prada, but that was one of the only leading clothing brands that Sakura knew of), their actions would be scrutinized by the media, whether they were out drinking on the weekends, or giving generous amounts of money to nameless charities.

It seemed that it was a chaotic world that she didn't want any part in any shape or form. The only career that she had seriously considered was to become a doctor, to simply save lives. It was a difficult yet suitable job that she had aspired to be, ever since she could remember as a young child.

"B-But _Sakura-chan_! You promised that you would spend time with me today!" Ino protested hotly, her twin baby blue orbs widened to create a seemingly innocent facade. The woman in question shot her a deadpan look in response.

"I already told you Ino, Tsunade would kill me if I skipped my shift at work, _again_." Sakura folded her arms over her chest, a defiant look flashed on her face, intent on not giving in.

"I could always just ask Shizune to say that you're ill, Sakura-chan." The blonde snapped out her pink phone, ready to tap the speed dial number that she used whenever she needed to call Sakura at work. Ino smiled innocently, the type of smile that somehow managed to sell thousands of magazines daily. And _no_, that wasn't an exaggeration, though it seemed like it.

"Ino, I'm in enough trouble with Tsunade as it is." Sakura sighed dejectedly, leaning against her hand. "Besides, you're only just going to make me carry _your _shopping bags. Don't you have an assistant or something for that?"

"You're acting as if Tsunade would fire you, Sakura-chan." She shot her a deadpan look. "And we both know that you're one of her best doctors there." Ino stated in a matter-of-fact tone, while inspecting her turquoise coloured nails with disinterest. She watched Sakura from the corner of her eye with delight, noting that her oldest friend had rolled her eyes—_meaning_ that she agreed, even if grudgingly so.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Ino." Grumbling to herself, Sakura closed her eyes and took a needy gulp of her tea. It was only then, did a devious look replace the feigned innocent façade on the blonde's face.

"I knew you would see it my way, Sakura-chan." Ino chimed happily, watching as the rosette waved lazily at her, who started to depart from the room. Well, _that_ was easier than she had initially expected. She had thought that Sakura would have kept arguing for another ten minutes or so, but she didn't complain. She picked up her phone with unveiled glee, and with a tap on the touch screen, her brilliant plan would unravel. Who knew that gorgeous _and_ smart could be rolled into a perfect package such as herself?

"What do you want _now_, Ino?" A smooth, soft voice answered, the blonde inwardly cursed the red head's impatient demeanor. It seemed that for some reason, he never made a conscious effort to be nice to her every once in a while.

"Don't be like that Sasori_-kun_, being a jackass isn't a very attractive trait."

"As if I care about your opinion of me, incompetent woman." He bit back.

Ino felt her right eye twitch in evident exasperation, feeling the urge to throttle the infuriating red head the next time she saw him. Unfortunately, the blonde needed him alive for her devious Sakura-involved plan.

"I'll cut to the chase then, Sasori-kun." She drawled. "I want you to meet a friend of mine at the photo shoot today. I'm sure that you can ask your assistant for details. And if you chose not to come, don't be surprised when you watch the news in the next few days..." The blonde's perky voice was laced with venom that was uncharacteristic for her. She knew that Sasori would comply with her demands, what Ino wants –Ino gets. It was as simple as that.

"You didn't mention what this person looked like." He growled in aggravation. The blonde grinned in triumph. "You won't have much trouble looking for her, Sasori. Just keep an eye out for a woman with pink hair." With that, she ended the call with him and dialed the number to Shizune's office with practiced ease.

"Good morning Ino-sama. It's always a pleasure to hear from you." Shizune chirped through the phone. Ino could practically _see_ the uplifting smile on the black haired woman's face.

"The feeling's mutual, I can assure you that, Shizune-san. I'm just calling in to ask a small, teeny tiny favour from you." Ino said with hope. Shizune was the main secretary of the hospital, so she was able to deal with any problems that may surface, for example if a doctor had to miss a day of work (and depending on who it was) Shizune would cover for them, by providing believable excuses to her boss, Tsunade –a.k.a. Sakura's godmother.

"Let me guess, you're stealing Sakura-chan today?" Shizune inquired, the blonde could distinctively hear the sound of paper shuffling in the background, indicating that the black haired woman was most probably gathering the necessary paperwork.

'_Probably getting ready to pass it on to another doctor… ' _Ino thought happily.

"Oh, you know me so well Shizune-san!" Ino giggled, then the sound of the black haired woman's amused laugher rang through the phone. "Please send my regards to Tsunade, will you?"

"Sure thing, just make sure you bring back Sakura-chan in one piece tomorrow morning, Ino-sama!"

"Don't I always? Thanks again." The blonde ended the call after exchanging goodbyes and placed the slim, pink device onto the table. She heard footsteps descending the staircase and quickly took one last sip of her warm tea, the liquid slithered down her throat, giving her a needed burst of energy as she sauntered towards the hallway with two, stylish black coats over one arm.

"Let's go, Sakura. I'll be late otherwise." Ino ushered her partner-in-crime towards the door. Sakura tried walking a different direction to avoid her antics. "Ino-pig, at least let me get my coat first!"

"I've already got that covered, Billboard Brow." Ino rolled her eyes in irritation, as she displayed the two black coats in her hands expectantly, while the rosette shot her an inquisitive, but amused, look, gently pulling the coat on over her emerald blouse.

"What's the hurry for, Ino? You usually take your time when it comes to photo shoots." Sakura raised an eyebrow as she stepped out of the house, the blonde following closely behind on her heels.

"My manger told me to arrive early just in case, that's all." She shrugged nonchalantly, inwardly grinning with budding anticipation. Sakura seemed to accept her horrid excuse as she focused her attention on finding an available taxi, blissfully unaware of the blonde's plans for her.

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><p>"This place always seems so busy." Sakura mumbled under her breath, her eyes wandering around the building in wonder. No matter how many times she visited the modeling agency's building—being Ino's best friend did have its perks—there always seemed to be a buzz of anxiety and excitement.<p>

The assistants would be running everywhere to comply with the, often ridiculous, demands of their models; swarms of paparazzi forever huddled around the entrance of the building like hungry predators ready to pounce on any unsuspecting victims; interns and rookies running around with messy hair, half-done clothing, and trays of cold coffee looking for little odds and ends for a shoot. It was just unbelievably crazy.

All the models flaunted their pretty smiles, with straight, white teeth—Sakura didn't sweat it too much, Ino told her once that they were all fake anyway. There was always something going wrong in the background, whether it was about a spoiled model that didn't get what she wanted or a late minute fashion catastrophe. Luckily, all of these unnoticed problems were quickly resolved by hired professionals who're great at what they do.

The pretty, bright eyed, woman sipped her coffee contently, quickly returning the smiles of those passing by her. She was sitting just outside the office where Ino was supposed to be having a meeting with someone who was, apparently, a well known fashion designer. Her blonde friend had gushed with enthusiasm about his clothing, but Sakura had feigned an interested look as she nodded for the majority of the journey while adding occasional input.

Sakura conversed with various assistants, while waiting patiently for Ino. The models spared her a fleeting smile, but that's mostly all she got from them. She didn't really mind all that much—she was a smart girl (that much, she was sure of) so she didn't really care if the models wanted to talk or not. As she had gathered from her first experience—if they don't talk to you first, they don't like you. It was harsh, but in the fashion world, you couldn't just talk to _anyone_.

Eventually, after another ten or so minutes had passed by, the blonde emerged from the steel double doors with a the-meeting-was-a-complete-success grin and after exchanging a few brief words with her manager, she skipped happily towards the rosette, who raised a curious eyebrow at her friend.

"I see someone's happy then," Sakura commented, shaking her head when the blonde winked at her. "You'll never guess what happened Sakura-chan; my manger just got me a contract with one of the most famous fashion magazines _ever_!" She all but squealed in happiness. Sakura just about resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, so instead she gave her a small smile.

"That's great news, Ino." In her excitement, she all but attacked the unsuspecting woman with a hug. Who, in response, squeaked in surprise as the model squeezed the life out of her in her evident happiness.

"Oh, isn't this a sickeningly sweet moment. I would hate to spoil it." A snobbish voice called out, instantly breaking the cheery atmosphere and replacing it with a tense and apprehensive one. The blonde model straightened her back, as her azure eyes clashed harshly with a red counterpart.

"Karin, it's been awhile." Ino kept an aloof but completely casual tone as she folded her arms over her chest. The red eyed woman, who was now known as Karin, shot her an amused glance. Sakura scrutinized the red head woman with mild interest, according to Ino; she was formerly a well known model but almost immediately agreed to become a fashion editor when she was given the chance. She glanced at her hair in wonder, the red hair was shaped in an unusual manner –one side was short and straight, and the other side was long and jagged. How _did_ she get her hair like that?

"It sure has, Ino. I was beginning to wonder where you had disappeared to; I don't see you in magazines anymore." Karin pushed her black slender glasses back into place, an unreadable glint flashed in the designer glasses. "I suppose that this could be a sign that your career as a model is coming to an end."

"Oh really?" Ino feigned a confused tone, as she placed her forefinger on her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I can assure you that you'll be seeing a _lot_ of me from now on, as I've just got a signed contract with the magazine for an _entire year_." She shot a smug smile at the red haired woman, who narrowed her eyes in obvious irritation. Her jealousy seemed to roll of her body in waves. However, instead of creating a scene (one Sakura had actually anticipated) she tossed one side of her hair over her shoulder with a sense of arrogance as she turned on her heel and walked away with the little bit of dignity she had left.

"Does this happen often, Ino?" Sakura inquired, glancing at the blonde from the corner of her eye. "We share a mutual dislike for one another," Ino sighed dejectedly. "Though, if I recall correctly, she never did like anyone." She added, shrugging.

"Ino-sama, the photo shoot is about to start!" A young brunette called out, waving to get the blonde's attention with his clipboard in hand. "I'd better go; the photographer is such an impatient man. I'll call you when I finish and then we can order takeout or something." Ino smiled once more and started to walk towards the blushing male, who immediately scrabbled to lead the blonde model towards the room where the photo shoot would be held.

'_Maybe I should go visit the hospital while I'm waiting_?' Sakura pondered for a moment as she walked slowly around the marble floor in an attempt to stay as silent as possible. She inspected the "V.I.P" card that was connected to a yellow plastic string that she had to wear around her neck at all times when she was in the building. It was the only thing that allowed her to roam freely without getting questioned by various staff that worked in the building.

To pass the time, she busied herself by wandering around. She walked by diverse paintings that decorated the pearl white walls, each containing a different untold story. There were also a collection of sculptures that were scattered around, the majority was situated in the main lobby, where clients or workers could admire them.

She had, admittedly, gotten lost a couple of times, as the hallways looked _exactly _the same. It didn't help that there wasn't even a map to show where you were! She cursed under her breath as she ignored the obvious not-whispers of the gossiping women. Sakura tried to fish for her phone in her pocket as she turned swiftly around the corner, but just as she had successfully pulled out her black phone, the rosette felt her body crash into something—falling haphazardly, and ungracefully, on the ground.

Sakura winced in pain, and she noticed a presence towering over her figure. Slowly, she peeked through her eyelashes to see who it was, inwardly praying that it wasn't Karin or another petulant model. To her surprise, it was a tall red haired male with soft cinnamon eyes who seemed to be inspecting her with concealed intentions. She bristled at his lack of manners, but then realized that she was at fault too—she _did_ run into him...

Quickly, she stood up and bowed. "I'm very sorry for rudely bumping into you; I should have been paying more attention." With that being said, she shot the red head an apologetic smile as she wiped away noticeable traces of dirt on her clothing. Once that was done, she uttered another apology then passed by the red head, taking his silence as acceptance.

However it seemed that her assumption was incorrect, when he had carefully pulled her back to him, thus preventing her from leaving. Sakura raised her jade orbs confidently to meet with intense twin pools of amber, confused at his sudden action. She started to feel uncomfortable when he continued to stare at her, impassively.

"You would make a wonderful doll," He spoke suddenly, mostly to himself as he tilted his head to look at her from a different angle. By this point, Sakura didn't have the slightest idea what was going on.

"E-Excuse me?" Sakura sputtered, her emerald eyes widening at the odd statement. Sasori analyzed her expression with interest.

"Yes, a beautiful doll indeed." He nodded, finally letting go of the girl as a small smile curled its way onto his lips. "You might just be the person that I'm supposed to be looking for."

He folded his arms over his chest, with a curious look directed at the rosette. "You are far more interesting than what I had anticipated…" He seemed to ponder this for a moment, his intense stare piercing through her.

"I-Interesting?" Sakura managed to squeak out, immediately backing away from the stranger. "A-Ah, I think that you would find that I'm very boring!" She waved her hands frantically in front of her face, but that didn't seem to diminish his increasing curiosity as he advanced closer towards her.

"Boring?" He repeated with an unreadable tone, arching a slender eyebrow. This simple motion caused dread to grow in the pit of her stomach. "No, I do not consider you boring." He insisted, "Your hair is by far the most exotic color I've happen to come across." As if to prove his point, he fingered a strand of pink hair tenderly.

"O-Oh, well…" She tried to protest, as she felt her face heat up quickly at the proximity between herself and the red head. She couldn't really argue with that because there was no one on the planet with natural pink hair—that she knew of, at least. But before she could utter another word, he silenced her by placing his index finger on her lips.

"You can try to convince me, but it won't work." He stated bluntly, shooting her an amused smile. "Do you know who I am?" He inquired, tilting his head to the side, his tousled red locks was spiky in every direction that was in a similar style to bed-hair.

"I don't really read magazines, I think that they don't provide useful knowledge or the information that I want." Sakura shrugged nonchalantly, inwardly hoping that this stranger would leave her alone.

"Well, my name is Sasori, it's a pleasure to meet you." He introduced politely, inclining his head at the rosette, who quickly smiled as she responded. "Sakura, it was nice to meet you too, but I have to go—"

The red haired male glanced at her lazily, "Where do you have to go, Sakura-san?" The woman in question inwardly sighed. Didn't this guy ever give up? Emerald eyes flickered towards him abruptly. "I was going to visit my work." With another apologetic smile, she continued on her short walk towards the main entrance.

He seemed to brighten slightly at this, as he easily kept up with her pace. "If you like, I could give you a lift." He offered, his amber eyes observing her annoyed look with concealed delight.

"No, you don't have to, Sasori-san." She declined politely, but he persevered despite this—much to her annoyance. "You can consider it my apology for rudely knocking you over, Sakura-san." He seemed adamant about this, his amber orbs intently watching her as if daring her to say no.

"It was my fault too, so you don't have to apologize." She inwardly sighed in relief when she had reached the main entrance doors and was about to turn around to glance at the red head, only to narrow her eyes when she noticed that he was already by the door, holding it out for her like a gentleman.

"You know, Sasori-san. People might start to talk if you're seen with a mere commoner like myself." Sakura shot a confused look at the male, who had raised an eyebrow at this. "You don't have to worry about the being photographed, Sakura-san." He gestured towards the nearly empty space surrounding the building, there didn't seem to be any gangs of paparazzi in sight, people in business attire were rushing around to get to arrive for meetings, while others strolled around leisurely with shopping bags clinging onto their arms.

"Did you somehow plan this?" She inquired with a suspicious tone; Sasori feigned an innocent look as held her towards his red convertible and opened the door silently. "What gave you that impression?" He had replied, once he had entered his side of the car. The pink haired woman looked at him with a deadpan expression that meant I-don't-believe-you-in-the-slightest.

"Well, you seem like the type of person who likes to use his power to try and impress people." She crossed her arms over her chest, averting her gaze towards the side window, watching as the scenery swiftly changed from the grey, looming buildings to the green blurs of the foliage.

"I don't need to try to impress you, Sakura-san." He stated dismissively, as he smoothly turned a corner. "Then what are you trying to do, Sasori?" The rosette dropped the formalities and sighed tiredly.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "Where did you say you wanted to go, Sakura-san?"

"The main hospital, just ten minutes away." She just about suppressed the urge to yawn, as her eyes dropped for a moment.

"Just go to sleep, Sakura-san. I'll wake you up when we arrive." He smiled softly in the rear-view mirror; the rosette narrowed her eyes at him. The red haired male had taken note of how exhausted Sakura looked, and tried to push the questionable concern for the pink haired woman to the back of his head.

"I'll hold you to that, Sasori." And with that last threatening tone, she succumbed to the temptation to drift to sleep in the comfortable seat, which allowed her to fall into a light slumber almost instantly.

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><p>"This isn't the hospital, Sasori." Sakura glared at him accusingly, as she resisted the urge to scream at the infuriating red head—who had the nerve to feign a seemingly innocent glance at her.<p>

"Oh, is that where you wanted to go, Sakura-san?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Sasori." She pointed a reproachful finger in his direction, to which he rolled his eyes at in exasperation. "You knew exactly where I wanted to go, yet you brought me to a _hotel_?" She hissed venomously, jade eyes narrowed into angry slits.

"Actually, this is where I live." He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, as he sprinkled some salt into the saucepan. Sakura had just woken up, to the appealing scent of food being cooked. Though, instead of waking up in her own home, you could just imagine the horror on her face once she realized that she was in a stranger's house.

"T-That doesn't give you an excuse to kidnap me!" She sputtered in disbelief, her eyes widening at the nerve of the male, who was busying himself in his kitchen to notice her glaring. But, he somehow managed to spare her a skeptical glance, as he settled the food onto two plates.

"Kidnap you, Sakura-san?" He drawled, with a sense of confusion. Sakura felt her eye twitch in irritation. "I've just cooked a meal for you, how did you come to the conclusion that I would kidnap you?" The pink haired woman stood up from the black, leather couch along with the warm blanket that was settled on her shoulders, to walk towards the table silently.

"How else would you explain why I'm not here by my own accord?" She mumbled under her breath with a frustrated huff, Sasori chuckled at the amusing pink haired woman, who shot him a deadpan look.

"I tried to wake you up," He informed her, as he held out a seat for her, which she accepted grudgingly then walked over to the opposite side to sit down. "But you seemed to be a heavy sleeper, so instead of leaving you to fend for yourself in the hospital, I brought you here."

Sakura stared at him agape; at this point she didn't care if staring at someone was considered rude. Sasori was either blatantly ignoring this, or he was just oblivious to her staring completely.

"Oh..." She quickly averted her eyes to her lap; a light blush marred her cheeks prettily. All of the misdirected anger and annoyance towards Sasori had almost instantly melted into embarrassment and humiliation.

"I don't blame you for being suspicious, Sakura-san." He reassured the rosette softly, who lifted her eyes in surprise. "B-But I shouldn't have assumed that you kidnapped me, I mean you were just trying to help me." She insisted, her emerald eyes bored into him intensively. "For that, I am deeply sorry, Sasori-san." She smiled at him kindly.

Sasori felt his eyes widen slightly at the shy woman sitting opposite him, she appeared to be genuinely grateful to him. He didn't understand why that simple smile had caused an unknown emotion to stir within him, but he easily brushed it off.

"This is really delicious, Sasori-san." A soft murmur broke his thoughts; he looked to the rosette curiously who had already started to dig into her meal. Sasori watched her for a moment, leaving his plate of food untouched, finding it difficult to take his eyes off her. "I actually thought that you had some a maid to do all the housework and cooking," She took a sip of water, as she continued to consume the fried salmon with contentment.

"Did I give you the impression of being a pompous rich man who is dependent on other people, Sakura-san?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly; the rosette seemed to ponder this seriously for a moment. "Initially, I did." She nodded to herself, not noticing how his face fell slightly. "But, now that I've gotten to know you better, you're not as bad as you appear to be." She smiled brightly again, as she confidently met his bemused eyes.

It was only this time, Sasori acknowledged the strange feeling he received from her smile. He felt a twinge of warmth from how genuine she was, the smile that blossomed on her face so naturally, caused her to look more beautiful than any doll he had ever created.

"—what do you do for a living, Sasori-san?" The male in question had only barely registered that the pink haired woman was talking to him; he felt his one corner of his lip twitch up in a lopsided smile. "I'm a professional doll maker."

Sakura blinked, her spoon froze in mid-air as she glanced at the red head. "Really? What kind of dolls do you make?" She inquired curiously, placing the spoon back onto the plate as she looked back at him with interest.

"All different kinds Sakura-san, for example dolls that are most suited to children and others which are bought by various doll collectors." He explained to the intensive rosette, who nodded in understanding. "I am the owner of Akasuna Corps." He expected at least a sign of awe from her, that he was the boss of one of the most established, major doll industries in the world.

But to his confusion, she stared at him without a single trace of recognition; her large jade eyes were filled with puzzlement. "Akasuna Corps?" She repeated slowly, mostly to herself. Sasori inclined his head, "Yes, I'm sure that you must know my trademark insignia." Again, he was faced with complete and utter bewilderment from the rosette –had this woman been living under a rock for the majority of her life?

"I'm sorry, Sasori-san. Could you show me what it looks like?" She scratched her cheek sheepishly, a slightly embarrassed laugh escaping her lips. The red head millionaire—possibly billionaire—quickly complied with her request, as he grabbed a nearby doll that he had been recently working on and handed it carefully over to the rosette.

"Wow. You're an extraordinary doll inventor, Sasori-san." Sakura turned the half-finished doll around, to inspect its impressively detailed features. Then, once she turned her attention to the back of the doll, she noticed a visible inked scorpion imprinted on its exposed back. The rosette scrutinized the unfamiliar symbol for a moment, but nothing seemed to come back to her.

"I'm sorry I'm not familiar with these dolls, Sasori-san." She passed the object back to him after sending him a polite, apologetic look. He shook his head in bafflement, feeling his pride bruised at her lack of knowledge about him, but this only caused his interest in the rosette to grow stronger.

"But, I'm sure that I've seen it in high street shops somewhere." She furrowed her eyebrows in thought, muddling over where she had sworn she had seen the dolls. Sasori watched the mixture of emotions that flooded her face in amusement, quickly switching from deep concentration to badly hidden frustration of her fading memory. It was actually quite adorable to watch. Sakura bit her lip subconsciously, not taking note of how intently the male opposite her was staring at her.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-san. Do not force yourself too much; you've only just woken up." Sasori spoke with evident concern, his cinnamon orbs held a hint of warmth that even he could feel.

"How long did I sleep for, Sasori-san?" She glanced at the red head, questioningly. "Only a few hours," He answered, with a brief gesture towards the penthouse's window.

That's another thing that caught Sakura off-guard. Sasori not only lived in a five star hotel, but in a penthouse. At least, that was the only explanation which seemed to be most logical reason why she was surrounded by luxurious, exquisite furniture that could only be bought by an extremely rich man, namely Sasori.

"It's getting late," She yawned, as she covered her mouth with the back of her palm, quickly remembering her manners. "And I've already caused you enough trouble, Sasori-san." The male in question moved to intervene, but she shook her head. "But I'm very grateful for what you've done; any other stranger probably wouldn't have gone to so much effort." She smiled at him, as she stood up from her seat and he followed her actions. Sakura collected her coat and bag from the hangers that were located by the door, and then turned to the silent red haired male.

"I could give you a lift, Sakura-san." He folded his arms over his chest, shooting her a concerned look, obviously not content with her leaving by herself, with the mere prospect of being attacked by any desperate, homeless people dawned on him. His facial expression darkened considerably, the rosette noted.

"No, it's fine. You've already helped me today, Sasori-san." She tried to reassure him that she would be fine, but her attempts to do so seemed to be fruitless. The red haired male appeared to be adamant with accompanying her home, like the gentleman he was. She inwardly sighed, but eventually agreed to silence his sudden apprehension over her wellbeing, though she just dismissed it as him trying to be polite.

The journey to her house was mostly spent in comfortable silence, where the odd conversation of how cold it had gotten recently, or general talk were the only time they exchanged words. But Sakura was grateful for this, as the only thing that she wanted to do right now was to fall into her plush, warm bed and sleep the night away. She wasn't the most interesting of people to talk to, especially when she felt utterly drained. Thankfully, to her relief Sasori seemed to understand this, as he kept the talking to a bare minimum which wasn't really a problem for him anyway, considering how naturally quiet he was.

She pulled her coat closer to her form when she stepped out of the car, as if that simple motion would give her more heat. Sakura grimaced at the bitter, cold air that bit relentlessly at her exposed skin, and tried to suppress some of the shivers.

"Thanks for giving me a lift, even though you didn't have to Sasori." She tried to smile at him, through the shivers. He seemed to notice this, as he started to peel off his own tailored suit jacket, but Sakura moved to stop him. "I'm fine Sasori-san, really."

"I hope to see you again, Sakura-san." He inclined his head politely, for the umpteenth time that day. The rosette smiled shyly, as she shifted from one foot to the other, quickly muddling over her thoughts before she decided, but before Sasori could register what had happened, he felt soft, cherry scented lipstick stain his cheek.

"I would like that, Sasori-san." She whispered, as she hovered over his ear for a few seconds, and then she retreated with a bashful smile. Sasori moved quickly, to catch her before she stepped through the door.

He walked until he was standing directly in front of her; the rosette stared at him in wonder. He slipped his hand into his pocket, and dropped a tiny object in her hand with a soft smile as he pivoted on his heel towards his car. Sakura watched him leave, as she leaned against the wall for a moment. Then she moved to open the door, and then shut it quietly behind her. She flushed when the image of the red head smiled at her, as she glanced at her hand curiously.

It was a small keychain version of the unfinished doll he had showed her earlier. The rosette inspected it for a moment for two; the small green painted eyes stared back at her. She allowed a small smile to grace her face, as she shook her head.

It was a doll version of herself, its features looked distinctively like hers, but in a frozen-like form. She easily slipped it into her pocket to look over later on, for now she concentrated on the smell the appetizing aroma of a Chinese takeaway which Ino had helpfully supplied.

Sakura didn't know whether to be flattered concerning his sudden show of affection or to feel paranoid of gaining a potential stalker.

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><p><strong>AN: **Ta da? I finally got this up, _finally_. I deeply apologize for the extremely late update, but since school started back up in September, I've been swamped with work –literally.

Growing up sucks, seriously.

So I hope you liked/enjoyed reading this, I don't think this is as bad as the other version, but it will have to do :) It's Christmas break, but I've still got a few essays to complete for the time being.

I'll try to update LWD ASAP! I've nearly finished it, but I wouldn't get your hopes up just in case :3

I wish all of you amazing readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Saku-chan


	3. Date 2: Shikamaru

**word count: **10, 148

**summary: **AU: Ino Yamanaka is considered many things, a scheming matchmaker happens to be one of them. Add in her completely oblivious rosette friend to the mix, and you've got 20 Perfect Dates. MultiSaku

**review reply: **(for those who either don't have a fanfiction account/don't sign in when reviewing)

Bbdonahue: Your support is greatly appreciated! I'm really happy that you're enjoying this thus far!

**author notes: **Okay, As you all have already guessed, if you have read the Sasori chapter, I had altered some of the chapter's content, this also applies to this chapter.

(I won't spoil anything, don't you worry!) Also, I apologize in advance for mistakes in this chapter. I haven't been able to get in contact with my beta, so this probably will contain a few/lots of mistakes here and there.

Now, I have an important announcement to make for you lovely readers—I know that Sasuke's supposed to be the next 'date', but I was just wondering if you guys would prefer me writing about someone else. Not that I mind Sasuke—aside from him being a sadistic, creep in the manga/anime, I rather like his fanfiction side!

But back to the question, I'll leave a poll on my profile for those who wish to vote on who they want Sakura to meet/date in the next chapter.

Without further ado, here's the next installment of 20PD: NV!

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><p>20 Perfect Dates<p>

Chapter 3

Date 2: Nara Shikamaru

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><p>"Well, you don't have to worry about that stomach bug Mrs. Matsumoto. The tests show that your daughter is fine." Sakura informed the intensive mother, while the small brunette glanced innocently around the room, the twin pools of jade scanning around for something colourful.<p>

"I'm glad to hear this Dr Haruno." She sighed in relief, her gaze slid towards the pouting girl beside her. Sakura smiled softly in understanding, as she walked over to her desk and pulled out her drawer to retrieve a cherry flavoured lollypop.

"Here you go." Sakura offered, extending her hand out to the beaming child who bowed her head of sheer politeness before taking the desired sweet from her. The mother chuckled while patting her daughter's head, a sheepish look lingered on the brunette's face as she happily slipped the lollipop into her mouth as the white stick popped out.

"Okay, if you go see Shizune, then I'm sure that she'll be able to arrange the next appointment, which is most likely to be next week." Sakura quickly skimmed through her planner that laid flat on her desk, until she luckily found a vacant space and lifted her head back up with a smile.

"Yes, in fact. Just tell her to book Tuesday morning for you please?" The mother nodded in understanding, while pushing her overly excited daughter out the door, who glanced over her shoulder and waved. Sakura laughed at the little girl, as they walked out of the door, their retreating backs eventually disappeared within the crowded hospital. It was only eleven thirty, yet she had a booked afternoon already, maybe she could take an early dinner break, the pinkette mused to herself. She didn't think she had any more appointments until one or two o'clock.

Her tired gaze momentarily travelled over to her bag that contained her main house key, along with the pocket sized doll key chain that accompanied it. That was the only thing she had received from the silent red head, along with a few dozen flowers that littered her office, which had considerably brightened the dull, grey walls. They had been delivered —inconspicuously— by different delivery people each time, though to the same person (herself) giving the impression that she had suddenly acquired admirers over the past few days.

Sakura was being constantly pestered by her nosy co-workers endlessly about who the flowers could be from, she feigned innocence and simply pretended that they must have gone to the wrong address. There was no doubt that the pink haired woman felt very flattered by his actions, as he wasn't the sort of person to shower anyone with complements, but he seemed to be more subtle and sophisticated.

For the past few nights, she had been wondering for hours during the moments where she found herself struggling to sleep. What were the actual chances of her meeting a millionaire who had shown a genuine interest in her? It all seemed like a dream to her, like it was a scene from the romantic films that she used to love watching. But, much to her (expected) disappointment, reality wasn't like a romantic film where out of coincidence, you would find your soul mate and live happily ever after experiencing a few minor mishaps along the way. She inwardly sighed; she had spent too much time watching _Disney_ films.

She had done some research on Sasori, just out of pure curiosity, and was amazed to see how popular he was amongst the cyber internet world. Sakura had already lost count of how many fan sites there were dedicated to him, and his "outstanding and amazing" creations, so she quickly skimmed through those and skipped to the –sort of— reliable news feeds involving him.

There weren't many scandals or degrading rumours about him, as Sasori mostly kept to himself, instead of attending celebrity wild parties or buying ridiculous items such as cars or yachts just for the sake of having them. But some of his more sceptical critics, who seemed to get a kick out of trying to humiliate others, did comment on his impassiveness, (how his lack of facial expressions rivalled his own dolls) and how cold hearted and stoic he appeared to be in public gatherings. But that trivial little fact didn't seem to diminish his completely devoted fans, as she had noted from some of the websites she had come across.

The pinkette was more than relieved that Sasori wasn't the clingy, overprotective type of man. He kept his distance, but still remained close enough to find out if her general wellbeing was okay. Sakura had simply dismissed this as him showing his unused emotions. Ino was surprisingly overjoyed when Sakura told her what had happened, but she couldn't help but notice the feigned surprised look on the blonde model's face, which could indicate that she had somehow planned that they had met, but then blamed the misguided suspicion on paranoia.

Sakura stretched her arms over her head, sighing in satisfaction when she heard her shoulders popping back into place. She stood up from her seat, the appealing thought of grabbing a much needed cup of hot chocolate from the cafe from across the road lingered for a moment in her mind, as she stepped towards the door accompanied with her black winter coat in hand. She didn't understand why, but the thought of drinking a welcoming, warm cup of hot chocolate seemed much more appealing than coffee. It didn't manage to give her the necessary energy burst she needed to get herself awake in the morning but it would give her the excuse to have marshmallows in them.

"_Sakuraaaaaaa-chan_!" The said girl twitched in evident annoyance as her friend's cheerful voice dragged out her name, it sounded like nails scratching on a blackboard; Sakura inwardly took a deep breath before she pivoted on her heel to face the blonde who was flaunting her new designer clothes. No doubt that Ino had she presumed that her simply gracing the pinkette with her mere presence would brighten her mood miraculously.

"Ino, I'm only going out for a short break." Sakura shot the blonde a deadpan look, as she walked towards the main entrance. She felt her eye twitch in annoyance when she heard the sound of high heels clanging against the floor, which only indicated that the blonde chose to follow her like a lost puppy.

"Oh? Then I'll be happy to join you on your break Sakura-chan?" She chimed happily, a satisfied grin plastered on her face she watched with disinterest as Sakura went to inform Shizune that she was taking an early break, her attention flickered towards her newly painted nails.

"Shizune-san, I'm just going out for a hot chocolate, tell Tsunade-san that I won't be long if she asks for me." Sakura smiled at the black haired woman, who returned the gesture kindly after lifting her head from her work, as she inclined her head in understanding.

"That's fine, Sakura-chan. Take as long as you want, you always seem to be working." She chided lightly, with a meaningful look. The pinkette allowed a sheepish laugh to slip through her lips, as she smiled again at Shizune before she passed through the small clusters of people starting to gather at the front desk.

"I thought you were supposed to be in an important meeting today," She shot a sceptical look at her companion, who waved her suspicions off dismissively with a flourish of her hand. Sakura busied herself by buttoning her coat, in an attempt to protect herself from the bitter pre-winter weather.

"You say that as if you're implying that I'm being an irresponsible person who simply leaves her potentially imperative meetings at whim." She huffed defiantly, halting in her walking only to tighten her creamy silk scarf around her neck. The mismatched pair had just stepped out into the busy streets, just outside of the hospital entrance. The pinkette suppressed the urge to strangle her, as she let out a slow sign, and the warm breath lingered around for a moment before it slowly evaporated into the dense air.

"Yes, of course Ino. That's exactly what I was trying to do." Sakura snipped back sarcastically, as she shook her head. The blonde, obviously not noticing the sardonic tone, shot a deadly glare at her friend, who simply ignored it as she focused on crossing the dangerously busy road, which contained multiply fluorescent coloured taxis, who continued to beep insistently at the seemingly never ending traffic jam that prevented the drivers from moving even an inch to the passenger's desired destination. Also, there were some second-hand cars that were scattered around, some of the drivers were smoking, Sakura noted with distain as she quickly manoeuvred through the ever busy traffic, with the blonde model sauntering leisurely behind her.

It wasn't long before they had reached the other side of the pavement, the pinkette sighed in relief, after narrowly surviving an impatient driver, who tried to cut in the other lane, and this motion had nearly caused the incompetent driver to run her over in his wake. Needless to say, in her unadulterated fury, she cured profanities under her breath while she hastily darted to the pavement. The blonde seemed to be unfazed, as she smiled flirtatiously at a few young drivers, clearly not noticing her friend's near death experience.

The café itself was situated between a slightly old fashioned charity shop, where an advertising sign was posted on the window, indicating that it was trying to encourage people to volunteer to lend their support for its cause to raise awareness of cancer. The pinkette herself didn't really mind popping in now and again, as she was well assured that the money she donated went to a good cause. The blonde model, on the other hand, completely and utterly disagreed on even setting a foot in the store, as she tried to insist that she wouldn't be caught dead wearing someone else's worn out clothes –especially if the previous owner had "died on them".

The other building that was positioned on the other side was the local butcher's shop, where Sakura usually purchased her meat, usually after her shifts at the hospital when she was feeling puckish of a meaty meal. The owner was a podgy, jovial man who always seemed to have a smile on his face, plus he was very generous on many occasions when she visited him as he would sneak in an extra piece of whatever meat she ordered, to in his own words "put a little meat on those skinny arms of yours", much to her amusement, of course.

Ino, being the strict vegetation she was, after discovering how much fat was contained in the monthly McDonalds she used to have, she had completely sworn of all meat. And true to her word, she didn't seem to touch any meat; the only exception seemed to be fish, as the blonde insisted that it was supposed to be good for her multiply diets that changed every so often.

The coffee shop was a perky, newly refurbished place that Sakura had frequently spent her breaks in. She personally knew the elderly couple who owned the quaint place, as they were her usual patients in the hospital, and since she started at the hospital, when she found the work exceedingly fatiguing, she considered the café as a quiet sanctuary where she could just relax and let her guard down without a single feeling of hesitance, which was accompanied by a comforting cup of a warm beverage in hand with a somewhat pleasant scenery to watch quietly.

Sakura opened the door, to be instantly welcomed by the warmth of the café, the heavenly scent of freshly baked pastries and brewed hot beverages assaulting her senses with a pleasant aroma rolling off in waves as she signed in bliss. She could never get tired of coming here that was for certain.

"I'll go get the drinks, Sakura-chan. I'm sure those two would love to speak to you," The blonde nudged her friend, who smiled gratefully as she walked towards the kind faced pair, who in turn greeted her with an equal amount affection that of a parent. The elderly pair was the owners of the café, who considered Sakura to be the child that they never had. Now assured that the pinkette was preoccupied; she headed off towards the queue, her phone already in hand as she pressed numerous buttons before she placed the sequined device to her ear.

For a moment or two, she waited as the echo of the dial tone lasted for about three to four rings, before she heard a grunt on the other end. The blonde suppressed the urge to slap her forehead.

"—hello, who's this?" Ino rolled her eyes in exasperation; it was already evident that he had just woken up, due to his sleep deprived voice. She folded her free arm over her torso casually, as she started to scold her long-time friend.

"Shikamaru, how many times do I have to tell you _not _to fall asleep in work?" Ino tsked in disapproval; she could distinctively hear him grunt something incoherent under his breath, he was probably too lazy to check the caller ID on the phone to see that she called him. The blonde felt her eye twitch in annoyance, as she drummed her fingers on her phone in an attempt to slow down her irritation.

"That's irrelevant, Ino." He sighed in response. "Now, I'm just taking a wild guess here, so I'm presuming that you wanted to bother me about something Ino?" He droned with monotone, the fact that he was unsurprisingly accurate would have quickly annoyed the blonde to no end. However, she was willing to make an exception for Shikamaru, as he was one of her childhood friends, plus she was quite scarce in terms of time.

"You know, for someone who's only just woken up, you're scarily perceptive." Ino said sceptically, narrowing her eyes in suspicion as she stepped forward to fill the gap in the line, as she easily ignored the star-struck looks she was receiving from the room's other occupiers.

"I don't need to be awake to guess that you wanted to ask me something, Ino." He replied logically and yawned into the phone. Ino pursed her lips in evident annoyance, but tried to concentrate on the task at hand, as she flicked one side of her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Oh Shikamaru, dear." She sighed tiredly. "Why must you be such a know-it-all?" The male in question tsked, as the blonde sworn she could hear him rolling his eyes over the phone.

"But I'm not here to talk about your astounding, yet incredibly infuriating intelligence, Shikamaru." She spoke with such a sincere tone, it caused the male to halt in his complains of the blonde being "troublesome", which had become a somewhat trademark catchphrase for him to indicate whenever he was too sluggish to do something.

"To cut to the chase, I want you to go to the main desk in the hospital after your shift and to ask Shizune-san for a Haruno Sakura." She instructed to the male as if reciting from memory. "If that doesn't help, then just keep an eye out for a pink haired woman. I'm sure even a lazy person like you can spot that, Shikamaru." Ino added as an afterthought.

"How troublesome, this is obviously just how I wanted to spend my evening." He grumbled under his breath, though he was aware that the blonde could hear him. Ino however was pleased that he didn't ask any questions, though she did expect him to complain, it was Shikamaru obviously. He lived to complain at people.

"I'm glad to hear your undeniable enthusiasm, Shikamaru!" She chirped into the phone, with a sugar coated tone. The male sighed in response, obviously not going to bother to intervene with the high maintenance blonde. .

"Oh, and Shikamaru? If you even think about leaving the hospital _without _meeting my dear friend, Sakura, I'll be more than happy to inform your boss that you spent your sick days staring at the clouds in the park." With that final sentence, with more annoyed grumbling on Shikamaru's part, they parted on –somewhat- good terms.

It seemed to be good timing, when the blonde realized that the employee was looking at her expectantly, after the previous customer had departed with a hot beverage in hand. She stepped forward towards the counter, scanned the menu overhead briefly before returning her attention back to the woman, whose hand was posed ready to jot down her order.

"I'd like to order one medium hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles and a regular black coffee with no sugar, please." Ino paused for a moment, her eyes straying towards the appetizing chocolate desserts with interest. The black haired employee, after taking note of the order, smiled kindly as she quickly got to work. She had declined the blonde's money, inclining her head towards the elderly couple subtly, suggesting that it was supposed to be free. Once the woman had completed her order, with an additional treat which included two chocolate chip cookies, she smiled again before moving on to serve the next customer.

The pinkette, having already finished her conversation with the elderly couple, was seated in the back of the café, her usual spot of course. Ino settled the tray onto the table, either blandly ignoring or unaware –though Sakura didn't think it was the latter- of the awed stares she was receiving from the other occupants of the table surrounding theirs, having recognized the blonde model.

"You sure do attract attention wherever you go, don't you Ino?" Sakura commented dryly, as she blew lightly on her drink, watching with idle interest how the warm moisture drifted into the air.

"Well, that's to be expected Sakura-chan. I _am _a top model, you know." The blonde informed, unnecessarily, as she took a small sip of her coffee. The pinkette rolled her eyes at the dramatics of her friend, taking a nibble of her cookie thoughtfully.

"Always modest, I see Ino." She replied, with an obvious air of sarcasm. "What with your face being plastered on nearly every billboard, I would have expected you to try to be inconspicuous in public to prevent any paparazzi from taking any hideous photos on you."

"Now, do I detect a hint of jealously there, Sakura-chan?" The blonde looked somewhat smug in her misguided assumption, with a perfectly arched blonde eyebrow hung high on her face questioningly. The pinkette in question nearly guffawed at the question, though as she tried to muster up all her dignity not to act upon it, she shot her friend a deadpan expression in response.

The pair spent the next ten or so minutes conversing on similar topics, each exchanging how their mornings had been. To anyone observing them, it was quite obvious that they were very close friends, considering how open they were with each other. It was a pleasant sight to uphold overall.

The blonde's phone rang, startling both of them, as she answered it without hesitation. Though, within the last few seconds, her face was contorted with such fright, it highly amused her friend. In retaliation, Ino shot the rosette a deadly glare, as she hastily made excuses to her manger and told her that she would be there as soon as she can.

"I completely forgot about that Vogue interview," Ino sighed, after having to deal with the wrath of her manger. "I swear you'd think that my manger was Medusa with all her hissing and whatnot."

"Is it that bad, Ino?" Sakura shot her friend a sympathetic look, having no choice but to deal with a monster of a manger. The blonde nodded her head slowly, as she retrieved her bag. "It was supposed to start ten minutes ago."

"I'm not surprised that your manger got mad, Ino." Sakura took a calm sip of her hot chocolate, ignoring her friend's protests as she continued. "You should be more punctual, Ino. You always complain about how people don't take you seriously enough, well maybe it's about time you should consider taking your job obligations seriously too."

Momentarily stunned by her friend's sudden burst of wisdom, the blonde eventually allows a small smile to grace her face. "How is it that you can suddenly sprout such knowledge wisdom, Sakura-chan?"

"I wouldn't consider it wisdom, as such Ino. It's just called being a sensible and responsible adult." The pink haired woman returned the smile, as she waved her friend off, who quickly pecked her cheek in thanks, before hastily running off to her interview. Sakura sighed in exasperation, as she leaned against her fist thoughtfully. No matter how many times she had to go through trying to advise Ino, it always seemed that what she was saying was going through one ear and out the other. She just hoped that the blonde had gotten something useful out of what she had told her today.

"Excuse me, Sakura-chan. But that gentleman over there wanted me to give you this," The pink haired woman's ears perked up, as she glanced upwards to see the kind faced woman curiously. The woman's eyes crinkled as she smiled kindly, as she placed a brown bag on the table.

Sakura's face was contorted with evident confusion, as she peered inquiringly into the bag. Only to feel stunned when she realized that it contained more than a handful of cookies, blueberry muffins and other assorted treats.

"B-but I can't accept this, it's too much—" She tried to protest to the woman, her emerald eyes widened dramatically –and would have been considered comical, had this been a cartoon. In response, the plump woman laughed heartily as she easily waved off Sakura's worries.

"I'm afraid that you have to accept it, Sakura-chan. The kind gentleman had already paid for it in advance," She told the dismayed rosette, as she moved to wipe down the table.

"You know, he looked quite familiar but I can't just put my finger on where I've seen him." She commented thoughtfully, completely unaware of how her words had affected Sakura, who had been silently trying to figure out who this unknown "gentleman" was by scanning through the unfamiliar faces of the other occupiers of the tables in the café. It was only when she noticed a flash of red, did the pieces started to come together to make a logical conclusion.

"H-Hey, did this guy happen to have red hair?" Sakura flicked her eyes back to the woman, after lingering on the red haired male for a few seconds of analyzing him, who to any other person, could be considered seemingly innocent as he casually read the newspaper.

"Well, now that I think about it, yes he did." She answered, placing her forefinger on her chin thoughtfully. "That's one of the most striking hair colours that I've happened to come across, apart from yours of course Sakura-chan." The grey haired woman added, a cheery smile graced her aged face.

With that, she left to tend to the other customers to see if they needed anything. Sakura pursed her lips, as her eyes dropped to her drink the second the male noticed her staring. Despite being on opposite ends of the room, she could have sworn he was chuckling under his breath at her.

She inwardly scowled, while she glared at the innocent brown bag of treats, as if it would miraculously attack the unsuspecting male. The pinkette couldn't understand what his true intentions were, even after muddling quietly over her thoughts over and over again, in a never-ending circle of confusion.

Sure, she was flattered that he was showing some sort of attention towards her, but it didn't necessarily mean that she would tolerate it. There were plenty of women who worshiped the ground that he walked on –most probably in the literal sense, as much as the metaphoric sense—, yet he had set his sights on _her. _A woman who hadn't even heard of him in her life, nor did she have any particular interest in what he did for a living –despite it had easily gained him a millionaire lifestyle.

The pink haired woman was still very much absorbed in her thoughts, that she had barely registered the fact that Sasori had just conveniently taken up residence in the empty space of the chair opposite her. When she eventually did however, you could probably imagine her surprise.

"W-What are you doing Saso—" The male in question delicately place his forefinger on her lips, evidently to silence her for a moment. He silently motioned towards the swarm of girls that were in the queue, who were chatting animatedly amongst themselves. Though, Sakura managed to catch the crimson red badges that was stitched with a familiar red head's face attached to it. Sakura bit her lip roughly, to prevent any sort of laughter from accidentally slipping out.

"Let me guess, they're your fan club, Sasori?" She raised an eyebrow, as she subtly concealed her grin behind a napkin. The red haired male sighed in response, as he leaned on his fist, his intense cinnamon eyes slid towards her with idle interest.

"Unfortunately, yes." He finally answered, as he swirled his drink around and watched the contents swish around in its plastic container, momentarily his attention drifted elsewhere. Sakura inwardly let out a sigh of relief; she warily eyed the suspicious male sitting before her, and those eyes that were eerily suffocating whenever they were aimed at her.

"Do they follow you everywhere?" She watched the group giggle from the corner of her eye, as she took a hesitant sip of her drink in an attempt to look casual. He inclined his head slowly, as he pulled a stray strand of hair that managed to slip from his black beanie hat.

"I thought I had lost them when I was walking here," He grumbled under his breath, as he sighed dejectedly. Sakura shot him a somewhat sympathetic look, though after a brief glance at the bag she had been glaring at merely moments before, it had instantly melted into a dark scowl that was directed at the red head.

"Why did you buy me all of this, Sasori?" She all but hissed out, instantly turning the somewhat relaxed atmosphere into a tense and apprehensive one. In her anger, she hadn't realized she had raised her voice. The red haired male's eyes narrowed in evident annoyance, as his amber orbs darted quickly between the whispering huddle of girls and the irritated pinkette, who was in the midst of shooting daggers at him.

"I thought you would like it, Sakura-san. You look overworked today," He aimed a disapproving look at her, obviously ignoring her sudden mood swing. Sakura cocked a sceptical eyebrow in response, as she regarded him silently.

"But if you'd rather I put it in bin," He trailed off suggestively, moving to grab the bag away from the pinkette, who in hasty retaliation grasped it, only to graze Sasori's hand lightly. Though, the oblivious woman didn't notice as she pulled the bag closer to her, away from the offending male.

"And let all these good food go to waste, are you an idiot?" She huffed in indignation, as she dug out a cookie and started to nibble on it. Sasori stared at her in wonder; this pink haired woman clearly had no idea the effect she had on him, and although she had just dubbed him as an "idiot", he could still feel his skin tingling at the contact with her soft hands.

"I suppose I am an idiot, Sakura-san." With that, he shot her a rare genuine smile that would make any other woman melt into a puddle of goo. But having said that, Sakura wasn't like any other woman that he had encountered over the years, yet she was everything he wasn't looking for in a woman –she was loud and explicitly spoke her mind, yet was open minded and didn't judge people based on their appearance. Sasori glanced at her casually, only to realize moments later that that small smile had somehow blossomed into a –seemingly- lovesick grin.

"Are you alright, Sasori?" The rosette caught his attention, as she leaned forward slightly to check his temperature. "You've become awfully red," For once, Sasori was thankful that she was blissfully unaware that he was blushing; otherwise he would have to awkwardly explain his complicated feelings for her that even he was trying to understand.

"No, I'm fine but thank you for caring, Sakura-san." He pushed back a strand of her pink locks behind her ear nonchalantly, who felt a faint blush creep onto the bridge of her nose as she smiled shyly up at him.

* * *

><p>What the pair didn't realize through this little cosy exchange, is that the small group of teens that had been staring in their direction since the beginning had suddenly turned unusually quiet. They slowly turned to one another, as they conversed quickly with battered breath. It had taken Sakura and Sasori at least a few seconds before they two had realized that they had been caught out, once they had taken note of the suffocating silence.<p>

"…Is that who I think it is?" A tall blonde haired girl whispered, her tone evidently showing her excitement of meeting her idol.

"Of course it is who else would he be?" Another hissed back, as her eyes were instantly glued to the oblivious red head with a scary predator expression on her face.

"But I thought Sasori-sama wasn't dating anyone…" The smallest girl of the group pondered thoughtfully, as she gestured towards the pinkette to extend her point further. She inwardly gulped in fear as she noticed the rest of her companions had suddenly turned frozen stiff, with the exception of the blonde girl shaking her head in denial.

"No…No, that's not possible. I'm the leader of one of his biggest fan groups, _I _should know if he's dating anyone…" She faltered slightly, as the prospect had quickly dawned on her that she might be wrong on this, as she observed the adoring look on Sasori's face along with the noticeable blush on the nameless rosette's face. The blonde's face darkened considerably at this, as she scowled in distain.

"Sasori-sama isn't flirting with that girl," Again, she shook her head while clenching her fists tightly. "I'm presuming that she must be a desperate, clingy assistant. I mean, what kind of person has _pink _hair?" She scoffed with disbelief, the girls surrounding her nodding their heads robotically, as they mumbled their agreement quietly.

"Maybe we should leave them alone, Sasori-sama is probably very tired from having to deal with fan groups like us on a daily basis." The small brunette tried to intervene, but despite being the most logical of them all, the blonde girl was far too consumed in her fury that she barely even noticed that she had spoken.

"I'm most definitely not going to leave now, if that's what you're trying to suggest. I'm not about to waste the amount of time I spent travelling to meet Sasori-sama," She shot an intimidating glare at the brunette. "Now, do the rest of you feel the same, or am I going through this alone?"

"O-Of course not, we'll stick with you all the way!" The rest of the group quivered at her withering look as they all hurried to answer in unison; the petite brunette did so reluctantly.

"That's better; now let's go see Sasori-sama!" Now suddenly feeling fully recovered, she walked with a spring in her step towards the pair. The group exchanged deadpan looks with one another before slowly making their way over like civilized people, unlike their abnormal leader.

"Uh Sasori, which you happen to know why is your fan group walking over here?" Sakura inquired, shooting a blank look in the red head's direction, whose cinnamon eyes which usually held disinterest suddenly widened slightly, as glanced from the corner of his eye, only to find the blonde girl practically prancing in their direction. He cursed silently under his breath.

"Sakura-san, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but please just play along," The red head murmured, just audible enough for the pink haired woman to hear. She shot him an incredulous look in return, but as she was about to open her mouth to retort, a nasal voice that resembled nails scrapping on a blackboard interrupted her.

"Sasori-sama, I'm very sorry to bother your time with your…companion," She sent the red haired male a 1000 watt smile, but sneered at Sakura as if she considered her to have the same value as the dirt under her shoe. "But I was wondering if we could borrow you for a few minutes?" Again, the sugary sweet smile appeared on her near-perfect face.

"As much as I would like to spend my time with you ladies," He deliberated his words carefully, as he lifted his gaze to meet the eager blue eyes of the girl, who under his intense stare, tried not to avert her eyes in embarrassment. "I had already promised my dear friend here that I would accompany this afternoon." With that, he smiled with half-hearted sincerity at the blonde girl. She nodded slowly for a moment, as she was about to accept defeat.

"Isn't that right, Sakura-san?" However, just as Sasori turned all of his attention towards Sakura with an obvious affectionate glint in his cinnamon eyes, something in her suddenly cracked.

"'Dear friend' huh?" She narrowed her eyes, as she openly glowered at the rosette, who had barely any time to response to Sasori's question. "What's so special about her, Sasori-sama? I can see the way you look at her, but I know she doesn't share the same feelings as you have." The blonde's fists were shaking in fury, as her blue eyes were alight with anger. "She's just using you, can't you see that Sasori-sama! You shouldn't waste your time with this stupid, pink hair freak—"

"Stop it." Sasori abruptly stood up, nearly knocking over his chair in the process. "I've been polite and honest with you, but you've got no right to harass my friend. And don't just make assumptions about our relationship, we're just good friends." The anger in the red head intensified greatly, as he stood face to face to the blonde, who was now shaking, with fear evident in her eyes.

"Now, if you would please leave us, before you make the situation worse than it already is." And with that, he ended it shortly. The blonde choked on the tears that she was trying to hold back, as she quickly bowed her head and backed out of the café wordlessly, the rest of the group didn't hesitate to follow her.

Sakura inwardly let out a shaky breath, as her semi-shocked emerald eyes were glued to the place where the blonde was previously standing. In most circumstances, there would be times where she would have to deal with difficult patients, some who simply didn't want to take her advice, or others who just didn't think highly of her. So, she could handle someone shouting the odds at her, and this situation wasn't any different.

She had to be professional, she reminded herself. She couldn't let her emotions run freely –she _had _to be in control, it was that simple. But, she knew that, something about this time, she had to admit that she felt shaken about it. As the majority of her patients had the dignity not to shout at her in public, but to speak to her calmly without humiliating themselves.

"Sakura-san, I'm very sorry you had to go through that." Sasori whispered softly, as he aided her by picking up her forgotten bag of assorted goods and coat, which she accepted gratefully.

"You don't have to apologize Sasori-san," Sakura tried to reassure him, with a smile as they exited the café. The rosette had to assure the elderly couple that she was alright, despite the abrupt confrontation she had to go through, only moments ago.

"No, I do Sakura-san." He stopped in the middle of the pavement, as he turned to look at the pinkette. "I put you in an uncomfortable position, which I should have never done in the first place. For that, I sincerely hope that you can forgive me." He looked her dead in the eye, with his soft amber eyes.

Sakura allowed a smile to spread on her face, as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "There's nothing to forgive Sasori-san, I can understand that you've got multiply fan clubs worldwide, so there's no need to apologize." The red haired male was speechless for a few seconds, as his mind quickly processed what had just happened. He was about to speak when she placed her forefinger on his lips.

"No more apologizing Sasori-san, I can handle any fan girls you have." She teased lightly, as she started to walk in the direction of the hospital. "Besides we're good friends aren't we, Sasori-san?" With that, she waved her hand idly at the male in question, as she mixed in with other pedestrians passing by.

"Yeah, good friends." He agreed to himself quietly, as he sunk his hands into the depths of his throwers, and began to wander through the crowds of unknown faces. 'For the time being, anyway.'

* * *

><p>It was roughly around five o'clock in the afternoon, when Sakura had finally finished her shift. She shot the remaining staff sympathetic glances who had to work later to look after both fragile and demanding patients, especially concerning the young infants and the elderly.<p>

During the night, the hospital was exceptionally serene, if there wasn't an emergency ambulance being called out of course, even that was quite rare. Though, despite this, there were always groups of staff on standby scattered all around the hospital, which served mostly as a precautionary measure if there were any patients that needed to be tended to during the late hours of the night or the early hours of the morning.

Fortunately for Sakura, she didn't have to have the night shift, unless it was completely necessary for all the senior staff to stay behind after hours. The pink haired woman strolled leisurely towards the main desk, with a few folders in her hand which contained patient's information which needed to be processed into the computer database, so that it could be easily accessed by any members of staff, along with a freshly brewed coffee in her other hand.

"Shizune-san, here are the documents that you requested." Sakura smiled, as she handed over the folders over to the overworked woman, who somehow managed to return it tiredly. The rosette had reached the main entrance without any major problems, aside from being exchanging brief greetings with other staff that had arrived to work.

"Thank you Sakura-chan," The black haired woman responded, as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. The pinkette in question waved it off nonchalantly, as she handed over the warm beverage over to the relived woman, who beamed at Sakura warmly gratefully.

"You'll need it more than I do, Shizune-san." She shrugged her shoulders, as she mustered up every last bit of energy to grin, the black haired woman laughed quietly, her head bobbing in agreement.

"Oh, what would I do without you Sakura-chan?" The said woman pivoted on her heel, as she held out a hand in response, while her thoughts were slowly being consumed by the prospect of a nice, warm vanilla scented bubble bath, along with a new book she had recently acquired that she had been dying to read. It was safe to say that the pink haired woman's attention was evidently now drifting away subconsciously.

"Excuse me Shizune-san; have you by any chance seen Dr. Haruno around here?" Sakura was already on the other side of the room, as she walked purposely towards the main entrance with her appealing thoughts lingering in her mind. Fortunately for her, she was already out of hearing range to even notice a stranger inquiring about her.

The dark haired woman glanced up in surprise, momentarily absorbed in her attention demanding work, to see a slightly dishevelled Shikamaru with his glasses hanging over the bridge of his nose. The brunt had regrettably fallen asleep after his last patient, which was roughly around an hour ago, so you could imagine his disbelief once he had realized that he had overslept. He completely and utterly placed all the blame on Ino for putting him in such a troublesome situation.

"Shikamaru-kun, did you oversleep again by accident?" Shizune teased lightly, the male in question grunted in response as he scratched his head. "Yeah, but I did finish the patient's files, I've already send the information for them over an email." He offered feebly.

"Good to hear, Shikamaru-kun." She smiled brightly like a proud parent would to a child. "Now, about Sakura-chan, she's already finished her shift about five minutes ago, you might just catch her if you hurry." Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly, as he started towards the doors, shouting a brief thanks over his shoulder. The mere thought of Ino finding out if he had ditched at the last second scared him, so he didn't waste anytime.

Shizune stared in bewilderment at Shikamaru's retreating figure; the male who complained about having to walk around the hospital since he started working was _running_. She shook her head, slightly recovered from her shock as she busied herself around her desk. Love did funny things to people; at least that's what Shizune was trying to convince herself that was the sole, seemingly logical reason which could cause the lazy brunt to be running after Sakura-chan. She smiled to herself; they would make a lovely couple.

Shikamaru cursed under his breath, having been practically forced to stalk some pink haired woman certainly didn't have its perks, but neither did having a semi-vindictive, manipulative and renowned model for a friend. He tried to move through the rush hour traffic that was huddled around the hospital; though after trying to be polite by not pushing his way through like an impatient child, he came out fruitless with his attempts.

So, quickly thinking on his feet, he scanned through the crowds of blurred and unrecognizable faces, trying to find even a hint of pink in the swarms of people hurrying around. In his frustration, he cursed again, mostly at the blonde, who was most likely sitting in a plush, cushy warm room, sipping champagne while having a whale of a time. It was all _her_ fault.

Just when he was about to give up (the thought was quite tempting at this moment) he had sworn he had seen a flash of pink somewhere in the scattering throng of citizens. Shikamaru wasted no more precious time, as he bolted towards the last place he had spotted the pink haired woman. After pushing his way through, which mind you wasn't the easiest thing to do when the crowd mostly consisted of young children who probably spent most of their days whining yelling and clinging onto any person who had paid the slightest bit of attention to them.

He had barely managed to suppress a sigh of relief when he located the rosette, who seemed to be in the middle of trying to signal for a taxi, though her attempts were failing as all the free taxis raced pass her, without even a slight glimpse in her general direction. She looked quite pitiful to any other bystander who happened to have been paying attention to her long enough, however due to the rush hour the brunt had doubted that anyone would have spared a lingering glance at her in her haste.

Shikamaru walked, calmly this time towards the road, his black eyes observing the smoothly moving traffic with disinterest, until a flicker of bright yellow came into view through the corner of his eye. With a brief, fleeting look in Sakura's direction, he waved over to a taxi with a subtle show of money enclosed in his hand, that he was sure that the driver had seen. Less than a few seconds later, the yellow cab drove by the pavement near him, the driver eying his hand with the money like a hungry vulture.

"I'll be right back," He told the driver, who donned an evidently irritated look, but waved the young male off nevertheless. Shikamaru paced towards the rosette purposely, and judging by her exasperated expression, she wasn't having any luck on getting a taxi.

"Uh, hey there." Shikamaru called out, awkwardly trying to gain the woman's attention; fortunately for him she just so happened to be glancing in his direction to notice him. "Sorry, were you talking to me?" She donned a sheepish look, while one stray eye lingered on the ever-moving traffic for any sight of a free taxi.

"Look, uh, I was just wondering if you were waiting for a long time for a taxi, and if you were, you could come in the taxi with me." The brunt offered, with as much dignity as he could muster up, as he dismissed the faint blush that dusted his cheeks. Sakura blinked owlishly for a few seconds, as she quickly processed what he had just say, a complete stranger was offering her a lift? To another bystander, this seemingly innocent gesture might have considered to be extremely suspicious and misleading.

Though, if you've been waiting to catch a taxi for the past ten minutes, while trying to keep your temper in check, then you might just find yourself desperate to get home to just relax and to get away from everything.

"I know what I'm saying may sound unbelievable, but I'll assure you that if I happen to try anything, I will give you permission to beat me up," He must have noticed her obvious distrusting look, as he held up his hands as if to surrender, though with his blank expression, it looked quite comical. Sakura pursed her lips; her jade eyes flickered back and forth between the cab and the brunt before she made her decision.

"Alright then, but I'll hold you to your word if you do try something." She warned seriously, though a small smile broke out on her petite face. Shikamaru managed to suppress a sigh of relief, when he returned the smile hesitantly as he motioned towards the taxi. "I don't doubt that," She laughed in response, as she slid easily into the cab, with the brunt occupying the free seat beside her.

* * *

><p>"Geez Shikamaru, you act like an old man!" Sakura reprimanded teasingly, as she put her free hand on her hip. During the last ten minutes spent in the taxi, Sakura had insisted on paying the brunt back for his kind gesture, Shikamaru having only given up being a chivalry gentleman, allowed the rosette to return the debt. As Sakura had spontaneously decided to go to the park, where there was a small stall which was selling hot beverages.<p>

Had he realized that it involved walking up a hill, he wouldn't have agreed so easily.

"And you act like a melodramatic woman." He muttered under his breath, as he grudgingly dragged himself in a slouched manner.

"I heard that Shikamaru." He barely had time to duck to avoid the plastic cup, some of its contents spilled out onto the cool, dry grass. The brunt stared incredulously at Sakura, who simply dismissed it as she settled down on the grass, carefully not to touch to small patch of mud and indicated for the male to join her.

"You know, I'm starting to think that you're purposely trying to harm me." He deadpanned, shooting a meaningful glance in her direction. The rosette's emerald eyes widened in faux surprise, "Now, where did you get that idea Shikamaru-san?"

"For a number of reasons, Sakura." In an attempt to prove his point further, he held out his hand and pointed to each finger individually. "First, you threatened to punch me for not letting you pay for the taxi." The rosette had the decency to look embarrassed as she scratched her cheek sheepishly. "I didn't know you already paid in advance…"

"Second, you pushed me into a stingy nettle bush." He shot her a pointed look, as he showed her his slowly developing bruises. However, this time round the rosette refused to look embarrassed as she folded her arms over her chest with a defiant expression. "You would have been hit by a Frisbee otherwise. Besides, I saved you from getting a head injury! You should be grateful for that."

"Troublesome." He sighed; it was futile arguing with her over matters like this. "Then you nearly gave me a heart attack when you suddenly screamed bloody murder. I thought you were in some sort of danger."

"It was only because there was a really big spider on your head!" She retorted hotly, albeit pathetically.

"It was the exact size of a pea, Sakura."

"No it wasn't, and you know it!" She pointed an accusing finger at the male, who suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at her dramatics of the rosette. "And I did _not _scream Shikamaru, I was just startled." Sakura glowered at him, though she looked more like a child sulking than anything else.

"You're just sidetracking me, Sakura." Was his only response on the matter, inwardly he signed in relief when she huffed in disappointment, signifying that she had reluctantly let the topic go. "And now you were unsuccessful in scalding me with your hot chocolate."

"Oh," For a moment, she looked shameful as she averted her eyes towards the white, fluffy wisps of clouds in the sky. "You definitely deserved that." In lightening speed, she turned her head to glare at the startled brunt, who nearly face-faulted at the rapid mood swings.

"H-How did I deserve that?" He openly gaped at her with an incredulous look. She simply sent her a dry look which said 'I'm-not-stupid-you-moron'. "I'm not deaf Shikamaru, you called me melodramatic."

"That's because you are." He mumbled lowly, as he adjusted his position as he lied down on his back. He winced slightly as Sakura whacked him on the head in retaliation but didn't comment on it to prevent any other bruises from forming on his head.

"So, I'm guessing you like watching clouds in his free time?" Sakura spoke after a moment of observing the silent brunt; he seemed peaceful and serene while watching the slowly moving clouds, with a mysterious look in his eyes.

"You could say that," He replied, his gaze flickered to her momentarily before it turned back to the blurred shapes of the clouds. The rosette's leaned against her fist, with a bored look. "You must have a dull lifestyle then," She said unsympathetically, blatantly ignoring the deadpan look she earned in response.

"Tsk, what's wrong with watching clouds?" The brunt cocked an interested brow at the pink haired woman, who merely folded her arms over her chest with an exasperated look in response.

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what you do in your spare time, Shikamaru. It's just that I assumed that you might have better things to do with your time, like your job for example." Sakura replied logically, her eyes wandering towards the darkening sky, where its previous form of blue was slightly tinged with the vivid colours of scarlet and orange.

Shikamaru hummed noncommittally, as he folded his arms under his head, looking fully intended to fall asleep in his comfortable looking position. The pinkette cocked a curious brow, as she sat down Indian style onto the slightly cold grass, silently inspecting him with unveiled interest.

"You know Shikamaru," She began with a slight playful undertone, her gaze drifted towards the blades of the green pasture. "I must admit that you look pretty mysterious like that, I'm surprised that girls don't naturally flock to you." Sakura sighed, secretly glancing from the corner of her eye to see if she gained any reactions from the silent brunt.

She felt her eye twitch in irritation, at the lack of response from the male in question. His eyes were shut, his chest was heaving with calm and steady breathing –all indicating only _one _thing.

The douchebag had the nerve to fall asleep on her! Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, he drifted to sleep rather _too _quickly for her liking.

So to test her theory, she clucked the nearest item that was in reaching distance to her –which also happened to be a slimly, gooey slug. She grimaced in disgust as traces of the creature's leftover gunk dripped from her hand, but momentarily tried to forget her misfortune as she glanced towards the formerly snoozing brunt.

Until he finally registered that a slug had taken residence on his chest, spreading its –unsanitary— juices all over his shirt. Sakura tried to squash the urge to groan with disappointment –the lazy bugger didn't even bat an eyelash as he carefully placed the slug onto the grass, the slimy creature slid towards its desired path of leaves just a few steps away, blatantly ignorant of being moved around.

It was only when he directed an unimpressed, deadpan look in her direction that he decided to add his input. "Do I even need to ask why you just threw a slug on me?" He droned a tired look etched on his face.

Sakura inwardly bristled. He was the one who had the impudence to feign falling sleeping!

"You pretended to be asleep when I was talking to you!" She felt like ripping her hair out when he became blank faced—obviously uncaringly, the bastard. "Besides, you totally deserved it for your insolence," At this moment in time, she didn't give a damn if she was being childish. Heck, if _anybody _was being immature—it would be Shikamaru.

"So, let me get this straight." He began with a downright bored tone. "Just because I was tired and wanted a nap, you just decided to dump a slug on me when you thought I was ignoring you?" Sakura refused to feel ashamed at this, as she folded her arms over her chest with a defiant look.

"Yep, damn straight!" She nodded with more enthusiasm than necessary.

"Geez, how troublesome," He grumbled under his breath, shaking his head in evident annoyance. He shifted his position on the grassy ground, so that he was sitting pretzel style, thus preventing him from obtaining any sort of sleep.

"There, I'm listening now. Did you want to say something important?" He drawled a blank expressed etched on his face. This in turn only caused the pinkette's fury to flare up with increased intensity, as she narrowed her eyes in displeasure.

"You're a real jackass, aren't you?" She grounded out, her jade irises darkened further. "However, if you apologize to me and _mean _it, then maybe I will consider forgiving you, Shikamaru." Despite her feigned smile, the male in question felt a chill run down his spine at the sinister gleam in her eyes.

And for a moment, the brunt thought she was the devil reincarnated—minus the horns and fire surrounding around her, of course.

"You know, Minako-san. I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship," Ino chirped with unveiled happiness to her PA, from her hiding spot amongst the leaves. The bespectacled feeble woman beside her nodded frantically, as she offered a response which only consisted of:

"Yes, of course Ino-sama!"

The blonde giggled, as a smug grin was plastered on her face as she lowered the binoculars from her face before handing them over to her assistant, who in turn motioned for the stand by chauffer to prepare the car for the model's next appointment.

Yes, the start of a beautiful—quarrelsome—relationship indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>author notes: <strong>You guys have no idea how difficult it to write Shikamaru.

Despite having the outward personality of a lazy bum, he's actually quite complicated to understand—so I'm hoping that my interpretation of Shikamaru did him some sort of justice.

Some noteworthy changes from the original fiction, I wanted to establish the foundation of Sakura and Shikamaru's friendship (to be), which I didn't do in the older fic'. Because I know that Shikamaru wouldn't fall head over heels for the hot-headed pinkette without getting to know her first, likewise with the rest of the other 'dates' I want to establish relationships that develop over time.

A reminder of the poll that I will set up about the next chapter, so get voting people!

Um, so yeah that's kind of it for the time being.

Please review! Because you know I love hearing from you guys :3 (I've started replying to them too, in case you have any queries about this particular fiction!)

Saku-chan


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